Hyderabad: The ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) would hit roads once again with state-wide protest demonstrations on Friday, demanding that the Centre procure paddy from Telangana state in kharif and rabi season.
TRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao on Monday gave a call to all his ministers, TRS MLAs, MLCs, MPs and party leaders to sit on dharna on Friday on behalf of TRS in their respective constituencies and districts for three hours from 10 am to 1 pm.
The party is organising protests against Food Corporation of India’s decision to discontinue the procurement of parboiled rice grown in Telangana state during the Rabi season.
This is the second major agitation called by the TRS over the issues concerning farmers since it came to power for the second time in December 2018. In December 2020, the TRS had supported Bharat Bandh called by farmers’ unions against the Centre’s farm laws and ensured its success in the state.
The party had a history of conducting several massive agitation programmes successfully between 2001 and 2014 to press its demand for the grant of statehood for Telangana.
Even after coming to power in the state, the TRS continues to have the advantage of being a cadre-based party and is highly confident of making the Friday protests over the paddy procurement issue hugely successful.
Arrangements are made by TRS leaders in all the Assembly constituencies and district headquarters. Top leaders from the party, including ministers, MLAs and MLCs from the city, will sit on dharna at Dharna Chowk near Indira Park.
Elaborate arrangements are being made at Indira Park, hoping that the Chief Minister too would dharna. Sources, however, said the Chief Minister’s participation in the protest has not yet been confirmed.
Home minister Mohd Mahmood Ali, animal husbandry minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav, MLAs Danam Nagender, Muta Gopal and Kaleru Venkatesh inspected arrangements at Dharna Chowk on Wednesday.
TRS working president and IT minister K.T.Rama Rao on Wednesday reviewed the arrangements for holding dharnas in all the Assembly constituencies with party leaders from all the districts.
Rama Rao asked party leaders to take prior permission from respective district collectors to hold dharnas since the model code of conduct is in force in all the districts barring Hyderabad due to the poll schedule issued by the Election Commission of India to fill 12 MLC vacancies in Legislative Councils under local bodies quota.
Rama Rao asked party leaders to explain to farmers about how the Centre's U-turn on paddy procurement from Telangana will adversely affect lakhs of farmers in the state. He also instructed them to create awareness among farmers on the need to step up protests to bring pressure on the Centre to revoke its decision.
